Clark Howard

Equifax Data Breach: Should I sign up for Equifax's free credit monitoring?

As more information becomes available about the Equifax data breach, many consumers have questions relating to how it affects them — and their credit — personally.

The Atlanta-based credit reporting agency recently announced that as many as 143 million people were exposed when hackers exploited a website vulnerability to access protected files earlier this year. Equifax, one of three main cogs in the U.S. lending industry, waited six weeks to tell the public, leading to outrage and calls for class-action lawsuits.

Should I sign up for Equifax’s TrustedID Premier credit monitoring service?

One of the questions that consumers are asking is whether they should sign up for Equifax’s free credit monitoring.

Honestly, why would you? Money expert Clark Howard says  you should not enroll in Equifax's program! The breach is so severe that the criminals will be able to use this information for decades, so one year of TrustedID Premier won't do you any good. At this point, the best way to monitor your credit is by signing up for monitoring at CreditKarma.com and freezing your credit.

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If you have specific questions about the Equifax breach and how it may impact you, contact Clark’s Consumer Action Center — a FREE help line open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. EST with volunteers available to answer YOUR concerns! Call Team Clark @ 404-892-8227.